The perfect partner (However you define it)
by Not Just a Nerd
Summary: In which Leonard needs a partner to pull of a heist in the absence of Mick, and Sara fills in and learns a thing or two about what she wants from life. One-shot. Leonard x Sara.
**Thank you so much guys for reading and liking my last one-shot. Here's another one, hope you like this too. Brownie points to whoever spots the Doctor Who reference. :D**

* * *

Pitch black darkness, that's the first thing she registers. Then there's water all over her skin, her hair, seeping into her lungs, her veins. Haunting screams of thousands of helpless souls reach her, and fill her with a sense of trepidation. She feels her limbs twitching as senses slowly return to them. Gasping for air and opening her eyelids, she sits up on a bed with a start, blinking, trying to remember who she is, where she is, and why.

Sara Lance, White Canary. Her room in the Waverider, currently dwelling in the year 2025. Trying to save the world and all that. Right. She's alive, and she feels like a glorified reformed vampire with a bloodlust, who's stuck in somebody else's life.

She spares a minute to get her breathing under control so her heart doesn't give out on her, and then she's out of the door, ready to do something to keep her mind away from her reality.

* * *

He's pretty sure he's crossing his own timeline and there are rules against this sort of thing, but when has he ever played by rules that were not set by him? Mick is gone, and that has left him in a state of despair that he's trying his best to ignore. He'd succeed if he can just find a good distraction. Besides, he's benched for this mission, so he might as well put the time to good use. He has an inkling how to do just that.

He's not stalking her, but he knows her well enough to know where to find her. He knows she'll be in the training room, working out and practicing her moves, trying to lose herself in an escapade just like he is. He watches her move for a few minutes, mesmerized by the sway of her hips and the fluid motion of her arms. Only she can make martial arts look so sensual. But it's not just that, not something merely primitive gnawing at his loins. He feels like she gets him and he gets her, like they are kindred spirits, and in a way they are- they have both killed, they have both hurt people they love, and they both don't know who they are anymore.

She can feel his presence from the way her skin starts tingling right to the root of every last hair on her body. This isn't just her training to spot the enemy even when blinded or drugged- this is some part of her that's attuned to him, the part of her that feels alive and not just resurrected.

"So," he begins without preamble, like he's narrating a fairytale starting from the middle, "I found a great job in town, but I'm kind of missing a partner at the moment, and you've got a pretty good resume."

She never stops moving, because she has a feeling that he will read her mind if she does. Her limbs continue their practiced motions, and her lips curl into a teasing smile. "I don't know, Leonard. I'm smart, agile _and_ sexy. I think I'm a little overqualified."

He can certainly vouch for that- she's a killer, and just not by profession. He lets his eyes rake over her body before he speaks. "I'm sure you'll do just fine. And the pay is pretty good."

She faces him, eyes sparkling with challenge and one corner of her mouth curled up. "But the boss is a little cold."

He's never one to back down from a dare. He greets her with a smirk. "Sounds to me like you have a secret little thing for him and are afraid to spend more time together."

Here they go again, here comes the playful flirting, promises delivered through bantering but never followed through. She rolls her eyes dutifully. "I didn't realize we were back in high school."

He looks pointedly at their surroundings. While the rest of the team is out there saving the world, they are stuck here because their specific skill sets aren't required yet. He smirks again. "I didn't realize you liked detention so much."

She follows his gaze across the room. It really is rather bland to be stuck inside a spaceship and being bossed about by an artificial intelligence. This isn't a bad idea at all, but she's never going to give in without negotiating first. She turns her gaze back to him with a smile on her face. "Just this one job."

* * *

It's a simple enough job, one they have done many, many times before. He's going to disable the security systems and break in. She's going to be on the lookout for guards and skillfully placed cameras, and if somebody comes by, she's going to knock them out and give them a good night's sleep. Now isn't that a sweet, mess free gig?

Of course, trouble has a knack of finding them, and honestly, it's more fun this way. One of the alarms starts blaring, and Leonard has to freeze it quickly before the entire building comes raining down on them.

Sara watches his gun at work and remembers how Mick and Lisa each have their own weapons. If she's his partner, shouldn't she be treated the same way? "So when are you gonna get me a gun too?"

His fingers work on wires and circuits, and he never takes his eyes off them. "Depends. When can you get me Cisco Ramon gift wrapped and ready for torture?"

It's her turn to smirk now. This is glorious victory. "He made my suit, and I didn't even have to lift a finger."

"Sara, Sara, Sara," he begins, letting his eyes trace her curves once more. She should be furious at his blatant leering, but it makes her insides flutter with desire instead. It doesn't help when he speaks again, and this time in a low, teasing voice. "Any man with a working dick would be happy to gift you a skin tight spandex."

She rolls her eyes. This heist is turning out to be everything she imagined it would be. She leans in closer and whispers huskily. "Oh, Leonard. You make a girl want to snap your neck so bad."

* * *

It's never a good idea to steal a peek into the future, but she can never resist. She wishes she could though, because the tv on the pub they chose for a celebratory drink shows a clip of a very familiar couple. Laurel Lance and Oliver Queen, attending some charity and announcing a new foundation. Laurel Lance, her sister, looking so happy.

She's happy for her, she really is. The past is in the past and they've worked through it all. But she can't fight the nagging voice in her head that tells her it could have been her, she could have been the one who ended up happy. She feels like the opportunity of a perfect life has been stolen from her, and that makes her feel even more dead inside.

When Leonard joins her on their little booth, taking a seat beside her instead of across, he notices the tv too, but doesn't comment. He's got them two beers and two burgers, of all the things in the world that they could get. "I hope you're not on a diet," he says as he serves her the food.

She knows he's well aware of how she gets depressed and skips meals, and she's a little grateful that he can be so thoughtful to get her something to eat. Leonard is a lot of things, but what he is lately is the perfect partner, however you define it. He's never pushy, he's never boring, he's never predictable. He is jagged around the edges in a way that fits perfectly with hers, and she's finally starting to see the beauty in being thoroughly flawed.

They clink their glasses together, and she finds herself smiling, and it hits her then, that she _is_ happy, that she can stay happy too. The thought terrifies her, but a person who has faced death would never run away from anything scary.

In fact, they would rush head fact into that pit of insanity, as she proves when she leans against him as she eats. It's not a big deal. If he mentions this ever again, she can just kill him.

* * *

Rip learns about their little adventure soon, and he's obviously not happy. "You are here to change history and save the world. Instead, you're out there, robbing innocent people like some street criminals!"

Leonard gives her his _I got this_ look, and she knows this is going to be good. Instead of addressing the captain, he turns to one of his teammates. "Raymond. Tell me something. Is it wrong if people who really need money take some from a rich millionaire who has enough dough to spare?"

Raymond snaps to attention."You mean like Robin Hood?"

Leonard sends an amused look in Sara's direction. "What is it with you people and arrows?"

She shrugs. She's not into arrows anymore, she's into guns and ice. But she'll die again before she tells him that. "Anyway. Back to you, Ray."

Raymond thinks for a moment while Rip waits patiently, knowing full well where this is going. "Hmm. It's a tough question, but I guess it's not such a bad thing. Millionaires can live with a few grands less. Just out of curiosity though, which one did you rob?"

Sara looks at the ground to hide her huge grin. Leonard just stares at Raymond.

He finally gets it, and his eyes widen like cricket balls. "You stole from _Palmer Tech_?"

Leonard smiles with too much sugar in it. "Nothing personal. It's just that, my rap sheet is getting too long for the cops to keep up. We know the owner, and he's less likely to press charges."

"Can't really do that while we're travelling through time," Raymond notes, and then his eyes widen again. "Or do we have like really cool space police? Judoons are not real, are they, Rip?"

Rip doesn't answer. He glares at Leonard instead. "May I ask who these people who need money might be?"

This time, Sara lets herself laugh. There's a feeling of lightness inside her, like the cells inside her body have all turned into bubbles. Like being bad from the dead isn't so bad. Like some day she might find a way to turn her scars into brightly colored tattoos.

"You stole for yourself," Rip infers.

"Charity begins at home," Leonard answers smoothly.

Rip sighs, finally accepting defeat. "I guess I should have anticipated this kind of behavior from you when I brought you on board. But you, Miss Lance? What's your excuse?"

Well, she was bored, she was upset, she felt dead, and she wanted- no, _needed_ \- to be with Leonard, who is going through his own turmoil, but she says none of that. "Hey, nobody got hurt. No harm, no foul, right?"

"Loosen up, Captain," Leonard offers. "We were just having a fun date, and a friend was paying for it. Is that so bad?"

"You could have just asked me for the money, you know," Raymond points out.

Sara grins, like the bird who got away from the cat. "Where's the fun in that?"

* * *

They are developing a tendency to find themselves alone with each other lately. Or maybe their teammates leave them alone instead of debating morality. She's training again, and he's watching again.

She decides to begin their spur of words. It's her turn anyway. " _That's_ what you call a date? No wonder you're single."

He sighs in mock disappointment. "And here I was thinking you liked the adrenaline."

She rolls her eyes."Newsflash, Len, it's not a date unless you ask the girl out first."

He invades her personal space then, and she stops moving. She feels her blood pumping with a primal lust, but not for blood. His eyes are serious, but with just the right amount of mischief twinkling in them. "What else did you think I was planning to spend my half of the money on?"

There's the life she could have had, and the option of dwelling on it and feeling the bitter taste linger in her mouth. And then there's the life she can have, and how perfectly it's suited for the person she now is. The only question that remains is this- "Where do you wanna start?"

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you liked it! Sara has such a rich backstory in Arrow and is so much more than a simple assassin, and I thought to portray her inner struggle. Please review and let me know how it went. :)**


End file.
